


life is about love (and love is meant to be shared)

by archivedjemily



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Admissions of Love, F/F, THE WHOLE DEAL, a "can i kiss you", and maybe jj too, emily babysits the boys, emily loves henry and michael a whole lot, jj comes home to a messy house
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:00:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27046873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archivedjemily/pseuds/archivedjemily
Summary: emily offered to watch the boys for the day when jj's babysitter cancelled, and jj returns home to find emily piled up with her boys cuddled up next to her. jj/emily
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 12
Kudos: 186





	life is about love (and love is meant to be shared)

“Please, please, pleeeeease.”

The pleadings from tiny voices were the sounds that welcomed JJ home. It was late, way past bedtime, but she had known rules would have been thrown out the window the second she asked Emily to watch the boys for the night. 

Her sitter had cancelled, and her backup sitter, and she’d forgotten her presence was required at a joint State Department/FBI task force meeting, a group she had been part of since her time away from the BAU. Emily had noticed her frustration, because of course she had, and had offered her services immediately when she found out what was causing the younger woman’s stress. 

The rest of the team had the day off, a rare but well-deserved reprieve from their busy schedules, and JJ had felt guilty accepting Emily’s offer, knowing Emily could use the day off as much as anyone- but she’d had no other options. 

Walking through the living room, she laughed at the mess of toys and games that were strewn across the floor, another thing she had expected, but it still elicited a small laugh from her. She knew Emily was great with kids, would trust her to protect the boys more than maybe anyone else, but the three of them hadn’t spent much time together without her, let alone an entire day- and JJ couldn’t help but let her mind wander to all the trouble they could get into left to their own devices.

Something had changed between them since her and Will had split, an undercurrent of  _ something  _ worming its way into the time that they spent together. JJ had promised herself to not overthink it, to not question the way her heart seemed to pick up and her breath caught every time a bright smile from Emily was aimed her way, and so far it was working. 

Creeping through the house slowly, she stopped just shy of Henry’s room, the cracked door casting a sliver of light into the otherwise dark hallway. 

“Okay, ten more minutes and then you  _ have  _ to go to sleep before your mom gets home or she will kill all of us” JJ heard Emily tell the boys, the affection in her voice evident even through the stern tone she had taken.

Moving closer, JJ peeked into the room, her presence still unnoticed, and couldn’t help the rush of warmth that ran through her body with the sight she found inside the room.

Emily was leaning against the headboard, Henry curled up with both of his arms twined around Emily’s right, and Michael mirroring his position on her other side. They all seemed to fit together perfectly, both boys looking up at her with the most genuine smiles JJ had seen in a while, clearly full of glee at the thought of Emily continuing on with whatever story they were reading. After a long sigh, she heard Emily continue, her voice soft but animated as she read. 

Sliding down the wall, she sat and listened, not wanting to break the magic of the moment with her presence. Giggles and gasps filtered out of the room, and JJ couldn’t help the moisture that seemed to be collecting in her eyes. 

Ten minutes came and went, Emily caught up in the story just as much as the boys. JJ couldn’t have told you how much time passed, but the sounds of the boys responding to Emily let her know that they had been lulled to sleep. 

She heard some movement, and the soft sound of a kiss on a forehead, and before she could escape back to the living room Emily was out in the hallway- a sleeping Michael held close to her body with one arm as she shut the door quietly. 

Getting over her initial shock at someone being in the hallway, Emily caught the sheepish grin on JJ’s face that told her the blonde had been a silent observer for longer than she’d ever admit to. 

Seeing Emily like this, in her home with her son held like he belonged there, JJ couldn’t help the swell of emotions that bubbled up. Remembering the promise she had made to herself to let this  _ thing  _ between them flow naturally, she took care not to hide the admiration she knew was apparent on her face.

Emily had been more open lately, and JJ didn’t take for granted the fact that she was seeing parts of Emily that the older woman hid from most of the world. Like right now- clad in a pair of leggings and a flannel shirt, a pair of JJ’s socks on her feet, Emily looked softer than she normally did, the bravado and confidence she carried so easily replaced with a tenderness that made JJ’s heart clench. 

“Hi,” was the only thing JJ managed to get out, her eyes still misty and her smile still wide. 

Emily returned her greeting, a hand coming up to stroke through Michael’s hair when he moved a little in her arms. 

“I was just taking him to his room, figured he’d sleep better in his own bed,” Emily spoke softly, slowly moving towards the other side of the hallway, the simple intimacy of the moment they were sharing not lost on her either. 

JJ nodded, following her into the boy’s bedroom and smiling as she watched Emily carefully untangle Michael’s arms from around her body. A tiny voice came from the boy as he burrowed deeper into his bed.

“I love you, Emmy.”

They had both heard it, the nickname having been established thanks to the face that Michael had a hard time with “L’s”, but the statement that had preceded it stole both of their breaths. 

Emily loved the boys, that much was clear to all of them, but hearing it reciprocated so easily from the innocent mouth of a child was almost too much for her to handle. Her hand came out to brush his unruly curls away from his forehead, and she leaned in close to place a kiss on the soft skin. 

“I love you, too.”

It was a simple and factual statement, Emily wouldn’t have said it if she didn’t mean it, but it seemed to carry so much more weight with JJ watching the interaction. Neither of them spoke as they left the room, stepping over the mess on the floor as they walked silently back to the living room.

JJ thought she heard Emily murmur something about cleaning up the mess, but her mind was still stuck replaying the scene she had just been lucky enough to witness- some last lingering piece had clicked into place as she’d watched Emily and Michael. Whatever had been changing between them became clear, she loved Emily, was  _ in love _ with Emily, and wanted nothing more than to love and be loved by the woman in front of her. 

Emily turned around when she realized that JJ hadn’t said anything since her greeting a few minutes ago in the dark hallway, surprised to see the blonde just staring at her from a few feet away. Panic shot through her, fear that she had overstepped flashing through her, igniting a fire of insecurity somewhere deep inside. 

“Jayje, I’m sorry if I shouldn’t have...” she started nervously, unsure if she had been reading the situation correctly at all, but was cut off by JJ putting up a hand and moving closer. 

“No it’s not that,” JJ couldn’t help herself from coming in even closer, only a foot or so of space between them now, and she felt herself getting lost in the way Emily’s eyes narrowed. “Never apologize for loving the boys, please.”

“Okay, then what-” she was stopped again, this time by JJ speaking.

“Can I kiss you?”

The question left JJ’s mouth, and Emily felt her own jaw drop. 

There had been so many times over the years they had known each other where Emily had felt like there was a possibility that JJ could be feeling the same connection she was- and now that Will was out of the picture there had been no denying the depth of their relationship. 

Months ago, after the divorce had been finalized, she had relished in the way JJ had leaned on her for support, but promised herself to never take advantage of the vulnerability the younger woman let her see. Emily knew that if anything were to ever happen between them, she wanted to be sure it came from a clear and mutual decision, so she’d let JJ take the lead. 

And taking the lead she was. 

There was a look of sureness that painted JJ’s face, one that made Emily’s insides flip. Not able to form a sentence, she just nodded her head towards the younger woman, awe still plastered across her face. 

JJ moved then, coming in closer and pressing her lips against Emily’s.

Neither of them could ever put words to how it felt, like the safety and comfort of coming home after a long time away, like maybe neither of them had ever actually known what home was before this moment. 

Emily sank into her lips, letting her arms wind around JJ’s body, pulling their bodies closer with a clear intention of never letting go. There was a combination of newness and familiarity in the kiss that made both of their hearts skip a beat, and Emily shivered when she felt JJ’s tongue slide across her top lip.

Opening herself up to the younger woman, she felt like her whole body was on fire, JJ’s tongue inviting her own into a passionate dance that she hoped would never end. 

JJ’s grip on Emily tightened, and before the brunette could register the movement she felt JJ pull her towards the couch. Moments later they were horizontal, Emily taking care to not crush the smaller woman while never letting their touches lapse for more than a second. 

JJ smiled as Emily blazed a path of wet kisses along the side of her jaw, dipping down her neck and across her collar bones before coming back to her mouth, a shiver running down her spine as their lips joined again. 

There was a sense of  _ finally  _ passing between them both, but neither moved to escalate things further, more than content with learning how their mouths fit together for now. The intensity of their kisses and touches ebbed and flowed between passionate and hungry and soft and sweet, both sending equal amounts of lust and emotion through their bodies. 

After a while, their kisses became less frequent, and JJ rolled on her side to make room for Emily next to her, a soft sound of protest leaving her as the weight of the other woman on top of her was lost. Eyes locked and arms holding each other close, they let the gravity of their new reality sink down onto them.

It seemed like their whole world had shrunk into the minuscule space between them, and JJ couldn’t help but lean forward and press a kiss to Emily’s mouth, a sense of wonder coursing through her at the fact that she could do this now. 

Remembered the events of earlier in the night, a soft smile crossed her face as she raised a hand to tangle in Emily’s hair. The older woman leaned into her touch, a quizzical look and a soft “ _ what?”  _ coming in response to the grin JJ was wearing. 

“I love you, Emmy,” JJ said cheekily, but the sincerity of her words weren’t lost on either of them, and for the second time that night Emily felt her jaw drop in astonishment. 

Whatever she had done in her life to deserve the love of the woman lying next to her, she’d never know, but she knew better than to tempt fate by asking. Mimicking her own movements from earlier in the night, she lifted a hand to brush JJ’s hair away from her face, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead before placing a few more along her cheek and finally melding their lips together again. 

“I love you, too.”

It was the second time tonight she had spoken those words, but this time she felt them in a way she knew she never had before. 

**Author's Note:**

> so ya!! 
> 
> hope you enjoyed these two idiots in love
> 
> bye love you mean it!!!


End file.
